Georgia Democrats call on governor to use state funds to keep food benefits flowing during shutdown

Contributed photo / U.S. Department of Agriculture
A shopper who receives federal food aid benefits slides an EBT card at a checkout counter in a Washington, D.C., grocery store in December 2024. — Contributed photo / U.S. Department of Agriculture A shopper who receives federal food aid benefits slides an EBT card at a checkout counter in a Washington, D.C., grocery store in December 2024. Contributed photo / U.S. Department of Agriculture A shopper who receives federal food aid benefits slides an EBT card at a checkout counter in a Washington, D.C., grocery store in December 2024.

By Maya Homan and Alander Rocha / Georgia Recorder October 28, 2025 4 min read

The political fallout from the ongoing federal government shutdown continued Monday in Georgia, as Democrats pushed to protect America’s largest food assistance program while Republicans deflected blame onto Democrats in Washington.

The latest clash stemming from the federal shutdown centers on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. The SNAP program is set to run out of funds on Nov. 1, meaning that as many as 1.4 million Georgians who rely on the aid could face the abrupt loss of benefits starting this weekend. Though the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers the program, currently has about $6 billion in a contingency fund, the department has said it will not use the money to help fund the program during the shutdown.

State Sen. Nikki Merritt, a Grayson Democrat who chairs the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, urged Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to help fund the program during a Monday press conference at the state Capitol in Atlanta.